HBA-MPM S.B. 1724 76(R)BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1724
By: Ellis
Public Education
5/19/1999
Committee Report (Amended)



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Currently, to receive federal funds from the Safe and Drug Free Schools and
Communities Act program, school districts are required to report on
specific indicators of violence, crime, and drug use.  In the 1996-1997
school year, all but nine school districts reported the required
indicators.  S.B. 1724 requires each school district to report the number,
rate, and type of violent and criminal incidents occurring on each campus,
and to include a provision giving districts the option of including a
violence prevention and intervention component in their annual campus
improvement plans.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1.  Amends Section 11.253, Education Code, to authorize a campus
improvement plan to include goals and methods for violence prevention and
intervention on campus.  Requires the campus-level planning and
decision-making committee, if the plan is required to include those goals
and methods, to appoint a subcommittee composed of parents and teachers to
study and make recommendations to the committee concerning: 

_the student code of conduct adopted under Section 37.001 (Student Code of
Conduct), Education Code; 
_programs needed to teach students conflict resolution skills and to assist
them in acquiring skills necessary to deal with certain emotions and
situations; 
_the type and amount of training teachers need to prevent and intervene in
violent situations. 

Makes conforming changes.

SECTION 2.  Amends Section 39.053(a), Education Code, to provide that the
annual report described in this subsection must include a statement of the
number, rate, and type of violent or criminal incidents that occurred on
each district campus, to the extent permitted under 20 U.S.C. Section 1232g
(Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974), information concerning
school violence prevention and violence intervention policies and
procedures that the district is using to protect students, and the findings
that result from evaluations conducted under 20 U.S.C. Section 7101 et seq.
(Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act of 1994) and its subsequent
amendments. Makes conforming changes. 

SECTION 3.  Effective date:  September 1, 1999.

SECTION 4.  Emergency clause.

EXPLANATION OF AMENDMENTS

Committee Amendment #1

Amends SECTION 1 (Section 11.253, Education Code) by removing the
amendments in that section. The amendment adds Subsection (d)(8) to provide
that each campus improvement plan must include goals and methods for
violence prevention and intervention on campus.